Emagic Logic Pro

Objective: Play multitimbral software instruments by building multi instruments in the Environment and patching them into audio instrument channels.

Background: Unlike some other host programs, Logic has no direct, straightforward way of addressing multitimbral software instruments. MIDI data sent to soft synths isn’t automatically channelized to specific parts. The solution? Create a multi instrument in the Environment and then patch this into an audio instrument channel. Normally, multi instruments are used to represent hardware synths — you can enable up to 16 channels per instance, which is assigned to a MIDI port. But because we want to play a software instrument, the set up is a bit different.

2. Create a new multi instrument (from the Environment window’s submenu, go New > Multi Instrument), and then enable the MIDI channels you wish to use by clicking on the numbered squares.

3. Instantiate a multitimbral instrument on an audio channel, if you haven’t already. Next, name the newly created multi “Multi MIDI A” or something more meaningful based on the name of the instrument you just loaded. (For our purposes, I chose Spectrasonics Stylus RMX.)

4. Drag the virtual patch cable from the multi instrument to the audio channel. Note, the Port assignment for the multi should be set to Off.

5. Go to the Arrange window and create several MIDI tracks set to different MIDI channels for the multi you just created. Now when each of these tracks is record-enabled, MIDI data will only be sent to the selected part/MIDI channel.

6. Finally, record MIDI data for each of the tracks. Each track should play back only on its respective MIDI channel.